3A FOOTBALL: NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN 40, YUMA CATHOLIC 37 (3OT) NW Christian prevails in triple OT thriller
Phoenix’s Northwest Christian School has crafted a stellar football program under head coach David Inness. His team, which consists of nearly two dozen seniors, are now the 3A football state champions following a nail-biting 40-37 win over the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks in triple overtime.
The top-ranked Crusaders had a 12-1 record coming into the state championships, with their only loss of the season coming in Week 2 at the hands of the Shamrocks. Despite that being their only loss, Inness said this season was never about revenge.
“They know that they’ve gotta play great against one of the top teams in the state every single year,” Inness said. “We just thought, let’s go out and do everything we can and try to win the one game. Four quarters.”
Although they might not have been able to win every quarter, it did not stop the Crusaders from fighting their way back.
Northwest Christian got the ball to start the game and on the first 3rd down of the drive, they had a pass intercepted. Yuma Catholic would go on to score, jumping out to a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game.
The Crusaders were able to cut the Shamrocks’ lead to 14-7 going into the half with a huge play by quarterback Easton Meier, who was able to find Cameron Adams in the end zone for a touchdown. Meier said that play helped change the momentum of the game
“We’ve always rose above adversity, so we didn’t really need much to get us fired up,” said Meier. “We just came out here as a team and did what we’ve been doing since the summer.”
In the third quarter, the Crusaders were able to put ten more points on the board, cutting Yuma Catholic’s lead to 21-17 going into the fourth, which is when Northwest Christian really came alive. Only 12 minutes stood between who would be deemed the 2018 3A champs, and the Crusaders knew they needed to be ready for battle.
Defensively, they were able to slow down Yuma Catholic and keep them from scoring too quick. With six minutes left in the game, the Shamrocks reached the end zone to go up 27-17, but a missed extra point bounced of the goal post and kept the Shamrocks from making it a two-score game.
Northwest Christian made a field goal before attempting an onside kick with less than three minutes left. But when Yuma Catholic recovered it wasn’t clear how the game would end up going.
The Shamrocks ultimately ended up turning the ball back over, and the Crusaders took advantage of the final drive. With only nine seconds left on the clock, Northwest Christian punched it in to the end zone to tie the game at 27 and force overtime.
In the first overtime, both Yuma Catholic and Northwest Christian were able to score, keeping the game tied at 34-34.
It was the second overtime drive, though, where things looked like they could get interesting.
Northwest Christian started out with the ball first and had a pass picked off, preventing them from scoring. However, when Yuma Catholic had the ball, they fumbled and Northwest Christian came up with the ball, forcing the game into triple overtime.
Yuma Catholic got the ball first to start the third set, but had to settle for a field goal. For Northwest Christian, everything rode on their next possession, but Meier handled it like a seasoned veteran, finding Dustin Inness in the corner of the field to take it across the goal line.